The second trip into the studio for Cedar Walton's mighty Eastern Rebellion ensemble – and every bit as great as the first! This time around, the lineup's a bit different – with Bob Berg in on tenor, and Curtis Fuller expanding the group on trombone – but the groove is still the same – wonderfully in the pocket soul jazz, swinging with a gentle and fluid glide that's really tremendous. The work ranks up there with the best of Walton's recordings ever – and the tunes are all originals with a rich imagination for tone, soul, and color – and plenty of space for strong solo work. Titles include "The Maestro", "Sunday Suite", "Ojos De Rojo", and "Fantasy In D". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal work in the development of the career of Cedar Walton – the formation of his excellent Eastern Rebellion ensemble, a group that became a platform for soul jazz expression for the next two decades! The group on this set features George Coleman on tenor, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all working in territory that Walton and Clifford Jordan were exploring heavily at the time – long, drawn-out soul jazz tunes – frequently built upon modal rhythms, and touched with traces of post-Coltrane blowing. The key factor, though, is that the work's never too outside, never too overindulgent – just hard-swinging soul jazz, in a 70s expression of the older Blue Note ideal! Titles include "Bolivia", "5/4 Thing", "Mode For Joe", and "Naima". CD

A seminal work in the development of the career of Cedar Walton – the formation of his excellent Eastern Rebellion ensemble, a group that became a platform for soul jazz expression for the next two decades! The group on this set features George Coleman on tenor, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all working in territory that Walton and Clifford Jordan were exploring heavily at the time – long, drawn-out soul jazz tunes – frequently built upon modal rhythms, and touched with traces of post-Coltrane blowing. The key factor, though, is that the work's never too outside, never too overindulgent – just hard-swinging soul jazz, in a 70s expression of the older Blue Note ideal! Titles include "Bolivia", "5/4 Thing", "Mode For Joe", and "Naima". LP, Vinyl record album

The second trip into the studio for Cedar Walton's mighty Eastern Rebellion ensemble – and every bit as great as the first! This time around, the lineup's a bit different – with Bob Berg in on tenor, and Curtis Fuller expanding the group on trombone – but the groove is still the same – wonderfully in the pocket soul jazz, swinging with a gentle and fluid glide that's really tremendous. The work ranks up there with the best of Walton's recordings ever – and the tunes are all originals with a rich imagination for tone, soul, and color – and plenty of space for strong solo work. Titles include "The Maestro", "Sunday Suite", "Ojos De Rojo", "Fantasy In D", and "Clockwise". CD

A really wonderful album that's sometimes overlooked because of it's relatively oblique cover and name – which both hide the wonderful talents within! In truth, the set might be billed as a Cedar Walton session – or maybe almost an Eastern Rebellion one – as the vibe here is very similar to that later group, with a strong tenorist working alongside Walton's trio, plus a bit of extra Latin percussion. Clifford Jordan delivers wonderful tenor throughout – and the core sound of Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums is as great as on any of that group's other wonderful albums of the time. Add in Ray Mantilla – who throws in some congas to complicate the grooves a all the best moments – and you've got some mighty nice icing on the cake! Titles include "He Is A Hero", "Una Mas", "Manteca", and "DB Blues". CD

A brilliant slice of rare work by Cedar Walton – tracks from three different live sessions of the early 70s, all of them recorded at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, and all of them previously unreleased! The bulk of the work features Walton with the core group of players he was working with at the time – Sam Jones on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Clifford Jordan on tenor – all grooving in the mode of the Eastern Rebellion albums or some of Jordan's own sessions – a post-Coltrane take on soul jazz, mixing the spiritual with the modal with hardbop! Etta Jones sings guest vocals on two bluesier numbers, and Bill Hardman blows a bit of trumpet on some tracks – and titles include "Naima", "Pinocchio", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Plexus", and "I'm Not So Sure". CD

Music from George Shearing, Eastern Rebellion featuring Cedar Walton, Anita O'Day & Paul Smith Trio, Terry Gibbs Quartet, Pillars Of West Coast Jazz and Les McCann. CD

A strong quartet set from piano genius Cedar Walton – with Bob Berg blowing on tenor, recalling the feel of the older Walton/Hank Mobley sides in the same manner – but with the Eastern Rebellion vibe that you'd get from Sam Jones on bass and Billy Higgins on drums! The set was recorded live at Club Montmartre in 1977 – and Walton is, as ever, fully in command of his soulful talents. Titles include "Off Minor", "For All We Know", and the great Walton originals "Holy Land" and "Ojos De Rojo". CD

Cedar Walton plays here with one of his greatest trios ever – the lineup that featured David Williams on bass and Billy Higgins on drums – both players who seem to match that blend of spirit and lyricism that was always so special on Walton's approach! The album's an obscure one, but it stands with the best of the time from Cedar – including the Eastern Rebellion and Steeplechase albums of which both Williams and Higgins were a part – and the tracks here are nice and long, and sparkle with that three-pointed energy that makes this trio so great. Titles include "Voices Deep Within", "Let's Call This", "Magical Lady", "Mode For Joe", and "Funjii Mama". CD features a bonus alternate of "Magical Lady". CD